Arizona Coyotes

Team Summary

The Arizona Coyotes are an NHL team currently playing in the Central Division of the NHL based in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes have their roots in the old Winnipeg Jets team from the WHA, who were relocated by the NHL to Phoenix in 1996 due to financial problems. Unfortunately, it seems like ownership and finances have continued to be problems plaguing the franchise throughout their stay in Arizona.

The Coyotes are currently undergoing a deliberate rebuild after trading away most assets for bloated contracts and high draft picks this offseason. Currently, the Yotes are the worst team in the league by a fairly wide margin, hoping to secure a top three draft pick for the 2022 draft.

In addition to battling to retain a fanbase amidst the tank, the Coyotes have once again run into financial trouble after failing to pay team rent for the use of their arena, Gila River Arena. Rumors are beginning to abound that the team will once again be relocated, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has stated publicly that the league has no intention of moving the Coyotes and will do everything it can to keep hockey in Arizona.

Arizona Coyotes Standings

The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. The team is a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference of the NHL. The Coyotes have a small but passionate fan base and have struggled to make the playoffs in recent years.

Team History

After the WHA collapsed in 1979, the NHL absorbed several professional teams into the league- including the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg was a noticeably small market with an extremely passionate fanbase; unfortunately, the team became too costly to keep in Manitoba by the 1990s. The team was purchased in 1995 and relocated to Phoenix, rebranded as the “Phoenix Coyotes,” playing their inaugural season in 1996-1997.

Obviously with their current title of the Arizona Coyotes, this wouldn’t last. The experiment in Phoenix would last until 2009 with several transitions in ownership, culminating in a declaration of bankruptcy and once again selling the team. Initially, it seemed as though the experiment in Arizona had failed (particularly due to the lack of any sustained success on the ice), but the NHL was determined to keep the club in the state. After a series of negotiations, the team was moved across Arizona to the city of Glendale, rebranded as the “Arizona” Coyotes in 2014.

Arizona has had some struggles as a franchise in terms of winning, making the postseason only nine times since moving to Arizona in 1996. In those nine appearances, Arizona has only won a series in 2012 and 2020.

Key Stats

Arizona is bad. There isn’t really anything else to say about the team this year, given that the on-ice product is basically exactly what GM Bill Armstrong was hoping for. The Yotes are currently 10-26-4, behind only the Montreal Canadiens for last place at 24 points. The Coyotes are one of the worst teams in the league defensively, allowing 3.70 goals per game each night. Offense is just as bad- once again, the Yotes are behind only Montreal with 2.23 goals scored each night. The result is borderline unwatchable hockey on most evenings, though the team has been surprising on a few occasions (such as forcing the Colorado Avalanche into overtime).

Clayton Keller currently leads the team in scoring with 15 goals and 16 assists in 40 games played. Considering the “quality” of the roster, this certainly could be much worse. Phil Kessel is next, tallying 27 points in games. As a veteran in the final year of his contract, it is highly likely we will see Phil the Thrill shipped to a contender at the trade deadline.

Goaltending has been about as expected during a tank year. Karel Vejmelka is currently 6-15-1 with a .905 SV%, just barely teetering over the .900 mark. Scott Wedgewood has been the back up, currently 4-8-2 on the season with a SV% of .895.

Championships Won by the Team

The Arizona Coyotes have never won a championship or conference title in franchise history. In fact, the Yotes are currently the oldest franchise in the NHL to have never played in a Stanley Cup Finals. The longest the Coyotes have made it in the playoffs was during the 2011-2012 season, which saw them finish the regular season on top of the Pacific Division with a record of 42-27-13.

With the help of goaltender Mike Smith and forwards Shane Doan, Martin Hanzal, and Keith Yandle, the Coyotes (still in Phoenix) won their first series since moving to Arizona with a 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. The Yotes continued their run with another series win, this time defeating the Nashville Predators 4-1. Unfortunately, the run was cut short in the conference finals by the eighth seeded Los Angeles Kings.

The Coyotes would win one other playoff series in 2019 during the play-in round of the 2019-2020 season. Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the season was cut short and teams outside of the playoffs played one another in a best of five to determine playoff seeding. The Coyotes

Just barely qualified for the play-in round with a record of 33-29-8, upsetting the Nashville Predators 3-1. Unfortunately, the team was completely outmatched by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, losing 4-1 by a wide margin.

Important Team Events

The Coyotes organization has been plagued with off-ice drama and financial issues since its inception. The NHL is clearly desperate to keep the team in Arizona as evidenced by their recent comments attempting to quash rumors of relocation and assisting in paying for the team’s bills and negotiating to keep the team in Arizona after they filed for bankruptcy in 2009.

The Coyotes have recently experienced more drama as in 2019 they were caught conducting illegal pre-draft screening on several upcoming prospects. The Coyotes allegedly conducted physicals on over 20 different prospects outside of the NHL’s allotted time frame for doing so, claiming ignorance due to the Covid-19 epidemic. Arizona was forced to give up their 2020 second round pick and their 2021 first round pick- their two highest draft selections on the eve of a massive rebuild. Hopefully, the Coyotes can find a bit more stability with a new core of players moving forward!

Top Players

The most impactful player in the history of the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes is unquestionably Shane Doan. Doan was originally drafted by the original Winnipeg Jets franchise in their final year of play in 1995, playing with the Coyotes for his entire career until retiring in 2017. He would play a total of 1540 games with the franchise, setting records for points (972), goals (402), and assists (570). Despite setting franchise records for scoring, Doan would never win a Stanley Cup.

Mike Smith was the goaltender for the Coyotes from 2011-2017, setting the franchise records for games played (312) and shutouts (22). Smith is widely remembered for his goal scored against Detroit in 2013, scoring on the empty net after making a save with just 0.1 seconds left in the game. Additionally, Smith was a major player in the Coyotes 2012 playoffs and a big reason for the team advancing all the way to the conference finals.

Top Coaches

The Coyotes have only had eight coaches in franchise history, currently led by Andre Tourigny, who took over the role in 2021 after the departure of Rick Tocchet.

The most notable coach in the history of Arizona is undoubtedly Dave Tippet, who served as head coach from 2009-2017. Tippet was able to provide a bit of on-ice stability after the team filed for bankruptcy in 2009, managing to win the Jack Adams Award for most impactful coach the following year. Tippet led the team on their 2012 playoff run to the conference finals, finishing his tenure in Arizona with a record of 282-257-83 and a win percentage of .520.

The Coyotes employed NHL legend Wayne Gretzky as head coach from 2005-2009. Though Gretzky holds all of the NHL all-time scoring records,the success didn’t quite translate to coaching success. Gretzky was unable to bring the Coyotes to the postseason, finishing his career in Arizona with a record of 143-161-24.

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